Ten Little Lights
by XionTheBlackRose
Summary: Sora wanted to do a murder mystery theme for his birthday. It's too bad one of his friends has taken the concept too far. No one is safe, and no one can be trusted. How do you find a killer among your friends? How many people have to die before they will be set free? "Ten little lights gather to die; One got nosy and then there were nine" {Based loosely on And Then There Were None}
1. Gather For A Night

**Gather For A Night**

 _Ten little lights gathered to die; One got nosy and then there were nine._

 _Nine little lights can't accept their fate; One was taken away and then there were eight._

 _Eight little lights stay safe until eleven; The clock struck twelve and then there were seven._

 _Seven little lights split and accuse each other of tricks; A mean trick plays on and then there were six._

 _Six little lights armed themselves with a knife; She couldn't take it anymore and then there were five._

 _Five little lights feel beaten and sore; One turns against the other and then there were four._

 _Four little lights must find the key; If time stops then there will be three._

 _Three little lights turn blue; One has to give up so there can be two._

 _Two little lights stand with a gun; A final game must be played until there is one._

 _One little light smiles as all is done; The last walks away and then there were none._

* * *

Sora sets the plates around the large table. All his friends are coming for his birthday party. They even agreed to stay the night. He sighs, happy with the decorations he's created.

"They said a themed dinner would be stupid," Sora laughs, "It'll be so fun!"

"No, that's totally lame." Sora's brother Vanitas stands at the dining room entrance. Sora sticks his tongue out at Vanitas, "Shut up, it's my birthday."

Vanitas rolls his eyes, walking up to Sora, "So, what's the theme of the party anyway?"

"A scavenger hunt murder mystery. Figuratively. There will be clue cards and stuff." Sora speaks softly, almost embarrassed.

Vanitas chuckles and messes with Sora's hair, "That does sound kind of fun. But can you pull it off?"

Sora grins, "Yeah!"

Vanitas smirks, crossing his arms, "Well then, you better impress me."

He chuckles again, dropping his hands and sticking them in his pockets, "So, when's everyone gonna show up? Who's all coming anyway?"

"They should be here any minute. Besides you and me, eight others are coming; Roxas, his brother Ventus, Riku, Kairi, Namine, her sister Xion, Axel, and Demyx." Sora replies.

Vanitas grimaces, "You're inviting the loser brothers and those creepy sisters?"

Sora frowns, "Be nice, they're my friends."

Sora gasps and runs to the door as someone knocks. Vanitas walks after him as Sora opens the door. He smiles, seeing all his friends standing on his porch. He moves to let them in, "Guys, I'm glad you could make it!"

"And miss your birthday? No way." Kairi smiles, following the others in. Riku and Namine smile and Xion waves. Roxas, Axel, and Demyx each give Sora a high five. Ventus smiles, "Happy birthday."

Sora shuts the door behind his guests then he gestures to the table, "Sit down, the party's about to start. I'll get dinner set on the table."

He runs to the kitchen and grabs a huge platter covered with a silver dome. _A fancy replica for any theme dinner._ Sora proudly brings the huge platter to the table and sets it down in the center as everyone takes their seats around the table. Sora smiles, "Everyone ready to eat?"

Everyone murmurs their agreement and as Sora removes the dome lid, everyone glances at him in confusion as they see the only thing on the platter is a card face down. Sora frowns, "Um.. I swear there was food under there not even ten minutes ago.."

He picks up the card and flips it over to read. His face slowly becomes more confused, "I didn't write this.."

"What's it say?" Riku asks.

Sora reads aloud, looking uncertain now, "Ten little friends were gathered for fun. Ten little friends will come undone. When the lights go out, the games will begin. At then end, only one can win. You all came here for a murder mystery, how will you feel when your friends become history? When the lights are down, no way out will be found. The only way to get back home is to make it out alone."

Sora looks up from the card, looking at his friends. They all seem excited. Sora stares in confusion, "Um.. Why are you all smiling like that?"

"You got the creepy atmosphere down, bro." Roxas grins, giving Sora the thumbs up.

Sora shakes his head, "But this isn't one of my clues. I didn't write this."

"Someone give this kid an Oscar!" Axel laughs.

"Guys, I'm serious!" Sora huffs, "The clues weren't supposed to start until after we have dinner!"

"Maybe he's telling the truth.." Xion frowns.

Axel smirks, "What? Did someone hijack your party, Sora? Should we call the police?"

Sora's face flushes in embarrassment, "Um.. Maybe..?"

"Hey, there's a card under my plate.." Kairi pulls a card from beneath the paper plate in front of her. She holds it up briefly then reads aloud, "There are ten guests here tonight, ten little friends, ten little lights. The clues are in the riddle hidden in each room. No one is permitted to leave this room until the game of the room has been solved. If anyone tries to leave ahead of time, you won't like the outcome. Precautions have been set, you have been warned. Be good little lights and you might make it out alive."

"I didn't write that either!" Sora frowns, trying not to panic, _What the heck is going on?_

"I have one, too!" Roxas pulls a card from his plate as Kairi had, "It says 'The first riddle is one of ten. Ten rooms in this house have been rigged for my game. The game is about to begin, so remember, no one is allowed to leave until the first riddle has been solved. If you solve it quick enough, you may be able to save your friend. But how many people here can you call your friend'..."

Roxas frowns, repeating, "How many people here can you call your friend.. Roxas?"

He looks around and everyone looks confused. Sora shakes his head, "I didn't write any of this, what is going on?"

"Guys?" Xion holds up a card, "I think I found the riddle."

Everyone turn their eyes on her and she looks down, reading slowly, "Ten little lights gathered to die.. One got nosy.. And then there were nine.."

"What could that mean?" Ventus frowns, "That doesn't make much sense.."

"I told you this theme was dumb. What are you going for, Sora? This isn't exactly what I thought you had in mind." Vanitas crosses his arms.

Sora shakes his head, holding his arms up in surrender, "I didn't write these!"

The lights go out, and then they come back on a few seconds later. Roxas frowns, "Has the game started then?"

"We have to solve the first riddle." Ventus stands and walks over to Xion, reading the card over her shoulder, "So, ten little lights gathered to die; One got nosy and then there were nine. Hmm.. Okay, so based on Kairi's card, the ten of us represent the lights?"

"I-I think so." Kairi stands, walking over to Ven, showing her card, "That's what it says. 'There are ten guests here tonight, ten little friends, ten little lights.' Yeah, it has to mean us."

Before long everyone is standing around, talking about the riddle Xion found and what it could mean. Sora looks around nervously, _They think this is part of my theme? I didn't write those cards though. So, who did? And how did they get in here like this? I set the table, I didn't see any cards on the table. Did Vanitas put them there? He might have when I went to get the door.._ Sora looks over at his brother, who's off to the right talking to Riku and Kairi. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Xion standing in the entrance to the living room. She heads inside. She flips the light switch, saying, "Why are the li-"

She suddenly screams as she's electrocuted. She falls limp on the living room floor and the house goes silent. Ventus's eyes widen, "We.. Solved the first riddle.. Ten little lights gathered to die.. One got nosy.."

He turns and counts out loud, pointing to the people in the room, "One, two, three, four five, six, seven, eight," he points at himself, " _Nine_. Now there's _nine_ of us. Xion left the room.."

Namine drops to her knees, staring at Xion. She shakes, "No.. _No_..!"

She turns and glares at Sora, "What did you do?!"


	2. Stolen Away

**Stolen Away  
**

 _Nine little lights can't accept their fate; One was taken away and then there were eight._

 _Eight little lights stay safe until eleven; The clock struck twelve and then there were seven._

 _Seven little lights split and accuse each other of tricks; A mean trick plays on and then there were six._

 _Six little lights armed themselves with a knife; She couldn't take it anymore and then there were five._

 _Five little lights feel beaten and sore; One turns against the other and then there were four._

 _Four little lights must find the key; If time stops then there will be three._

 _Three little lights turn blue; One has to give up so there can be two._

 _Two little lights stand with a gun; A final game must be played until there is one._

 _One little light smiles as all is done; The last walks away and then there were none._

* * *

Sora paces the living room as Riku lays a sheet over Xion's burned body. Namine stands across the room, glaring at him, "You did this. This is your fault."

"Hey, don't go pointing fingers." Vanitas shoves her.

She shoves him back, "So was it you?! Did you rig this death trap?!"

"Of course not!" Vanitas scoffs, "Go blame someone else you little freak!"

"Guys, the door's locked!" Kairi calls from the front door by the dining room.

"Back door, too!" Roxas shouts from somewhere across the house.

Axel throws a chair at the dining room windows and the impact does nothing. Sora shakes his head, eyeing Axel, "That won't do anything. Dad installed bullet proof glass after that drive-by last year. None of the glass in this house is breakable.."

"We're trapped with a killer!" Demyx throws his arms up, "We need to get out of here!"

Kairi and Roxas join the others in the dining room. Riku looks at Sora, "Where do you keep the keys to the doors?"

"The keys are gone." Vanitas leans against the walls, "I went to get them when Xion died. We always leave all our keys in a clay dish on the mantle in the upstairs hallway. All the keys are gone, including my car keys."

"I have my car keys." Axel crosses his arms, "But I guess that doesn't matter if we can't even get out of the house."

"What are we supposed to do now?" Kairi looks around at her friends, fear shining in her eyes.

Ventus sighs, holding a card, "We have to play the game. That's the only way whoever's doing this will open the doors."

"How do you know that?" Namine wipes tears from her eyes, "Maybe you did this."

Ventus raises an eyebrow, "Me? A second ago you said it was Sora and Vanitas."

"Guys, calm down." Roxas frowns, "It can't possibly be any of us, right? There must be someone else here, someone who's hiding. He's probably watching what we're doing right now. Think about it, why would Sora want to hurt any of us? He's our friend, you all know he'd never hurt a fly. So stop pointing fingers. We have to work together if we want to get out of this. What happened to Xion is horrible, but we can keep it from happening to the rest of us if we're smart and stick together."

"He's right," Riku nods, standing, "We need to stick together now. If we turn against each other, we're already as good as dead."

"Speak for yourself," Namine growls, "Your sister isn't lying on the floor dead because of some psycho.."

"I know you're hurting," Riku speaks slowly and softly, "But you can't blame Sora. It's obvious he has no idea what's going on, just like the rest of us. You're just upset and want to blame someone."

"Well someone killed her!" Namine grips her head, "Damn it! Damn it! It should have been me!"

She starts sobbing and Riku hugs her slowly, his eyes darkening. The house is silence except for Namine's grieving sobs. Ventus looks down at the card he's holding. _Nine little lights can't accept their fate; One was taken away and then there were eight._ He closes his eyes, putting the card in his pocket.

"What's that, Ven?" Roxas tilts his head.

Ven shakes his head, "It's the card Xion had. The first riddle."

Roxas frowns, "Okay.."

Ventus opens his eyes and looks around at the eight people surrounding him. _Maybe we won't have to play if we can't find the second riddle. Maybe no one else has to die._ Kairi whimpers softly, "We're all going to die here, aren't we?"

"No." Riku replies reassuringly, "We'll beat this and everything will be fine."

Namine pulls away from Riku, wiping her eyes again, "After we get out.. Can we bury my sister?"

Riku nods, "Of course we will. Just.. Tell your parents it was an accident due to faulty wiring.."

She nods, staring at the floor. The lights go out and everyone starts panicking. Lost in the darkness, they fumble around, bumping into one another. Someone yelps and there's a few thudding sounds. Everyone starts yelling, trying to figure out what's going on. The lights turn back on then and everyone locks eyes. Roxas's eyes immediately widen upon finding someone's missing, "Ventus?! Ven, where are you?!"

He runs from the room and Sora gasps, running after him, "Roxas, don't go off alone!"

"Damn it, where did the kid go?" Vanitas frowns, but his eyes shine in worry and discomfort.

Axel tilts his head and walks over to where Ventus had been standing. In his place is a card lying face down. He leans down and picks the card up. He groans, "Nine little lights can't accept their fate; One was taken away and then there were eight.."

Riku's eyes widen, then he looks away, running a hand through his hair, "Shit.. This is bad.. We can't just give up, though. Ven was _taken_ , we don't know if he was killed."

Namine looks back down at the sheet covering her sister and her eyes widen, "Wait.."

Everyone looks at her and she slowly crouches down beside the corpse. She grabs the sheet and slowly lifts it. She scream when removing the sheet reveals it's no longer Xion under there, but Ventus. Ventus's face is frozen in fear and Riku moves, kneeling beside the boy. He checks Ventus's pulse, but there is none. He shakes his head, closing his eyes, "He's gone."

Kairi starts crying, "It's only been a few minutes and two of us are dead.."

Namine shudders, "Where's Xion, then..?"

Sora returns with Roxas and they stop dead in their tracks, seeing Ventus. Roxas screams, clinging to Sora. Sora gasps and holds his friend, tears of his own start to trail down his face, "I'm so sorry I brought you all here.. "

Namine turns glaring eyes on Sora again, "That sounds like a confession."

She stands slowly, "Now where is my sister?"


	3. Suspicions

**Suspicions  
**

 _Eight little lights stay safe until eleven; The clock struck twelve and then there were seven._

 _Seven little lights split and accuse each other of tricks; A mean trick plays on and then there were six._

 _Six little lights armed themselves with a knife; She couldn't take it anymore and then there were five._

 _Five little lights feel beaten and sore; One turns against the other and then there were four._

 _Four little lights must find the key; If time stops then there will be three._

 _Three little lights turn blue; One has to give up so there can be two._

 _Two little lights stand with a gun; A final game must be played until there is one._

 _One little light smiles as all is done; The last walks away and then there were none._

* * *

The eight remaining friends sat around in the dining room and the living room for hours, trapped. Despair starts to sink in as the minutes tick by. Two people are dead, but a body is missing. Sora and Riku walk around the mansion, trying to locate Xion's body. They walk up to the second floor for the tenth time in silence. Sora clasps his hands together, his body trembles. Riku looks at him and his eyes soften, "If it helps.. I know you haven't done any of this.."

Sora looks at Riku in relief, "R-really? You might be the only one who thinks so.. Besides Vanitas, of course.."

Riku looks away, "I think Vanitas is doing it."

Sora frowns, eyes wide, "What? Why?"

"He always shows how much he dislikes us all." Riku replies.

Sora shakes his head, "He wouldn't kill anyone because of it! He certainly wouldn't ruin my birthday to do something so crazy!"

Riku shrugs lightly, "Maybe.. Maybe not. Look, I'm not the only one who's suspicious of Vanitas. If it comes down to picking someone over another.. I'd look out for him if I were you. You're probably the only one who would rather save him."

Sora looks down, frowning, He's right.. No one else here would put their lives on the line for him.. He and I.. We have to stick together. I know he's not a killer. Riku stops and grabs Sora's arm, "Wait.. Quiet.."

Sora looks at him, speaking softly, "What is it..?"

"There's someone else up here.." Riku's eyes narrow.

Sora looks confused, "I don't hear anything."

The next instant Demyx comes out of one of the rooms. He stops in front of them, blinking. He then smiles sheepishly, "Uh, you lookin' for the bathroom, too?"

Riku keeps his eyes on Demyx, "Where have you been?"

Demyx shakes his head, "Whatever you're thinkin', unthink it!"

Sora frowns, looking at Riku, "What _are_ you thinking?"

"Demyx left right after we found Ventus. I think he knows where Xion is. I think he did this, or he's at least working with whoever did." Riku replies.

Demyx shakes his head again, holding his arms up in surrender, "I'm not workin' with anyone and I didn't do anythin'!"

Riku steps towards him, "I don't believe you. You've been gone an awful long time to be looking for the bathroom."

Demyx's eyes widen, "I didn't do it!"

Sora grabs Riku's arm, "Hey, lay off. He says he doesn't know anything."

"He could be lying." Riku states.

Sora groans, "And what are you going to do if he is?"

Riku growls, pulling away from Sora, "Take care of it."

"But he might be innocent!" Sora fights.

"I _am_ innocent!" Demyx insists, taking a few steps away from Riku.

"You're acting awfully guilty and suspicious, Demyx." Riku corners Demyx.

Sora tries to pull Riku away, "Stop, you're the one acting crazy! Leave him alone!"

Riku shoves Sora back, "He did this!"

"You don't know that!" Sora fights.

"Man, come on!" Demyx pleads, "This is nuts, I didn't do anything! You're being paranoid!"

"Riku, _stop!_ " Sora shoves Riku away from Demyx, then he calls behind him, "Demyx, _run!_ "

Demyx darts for the stairs and Riku runs after him. Sora follows after Riku. He grabs Riku's arm and pulls back just as Riku grabs Demyx's wrist. Sora pulls Riku back as hard as he can and Riku lets go of Demyx as he's pulled back. The sudden release causes Demyx to fall face first against the stairs. He stumbles and rolls down the flight of stairs. By the time he hits the bottom, his neck had snapped. Sora yells as the grandfather clock down the hall begins to chime. Sora runs down the stairs with Riku following quickly. The silver haired boy looks distressed as Sora kneels beside another deceased friend.

Sora starts crying, "He's dead!"

Riku's eyes widen, "He.. Shit.. I didn't mean for.."

At the top of the stairs, a figure in a black cloak stands, holding white cards. The figure takes a card and flicks it at the wall. The card hits the wall and then falls at Demyx's corpse. Sora slowly picks the card up. He looks back, towards the stairs and the figure is gone. He looks back at the card and sobs, shoving the card towards Riku. Riku takes the card in shaking hands. He reads softly, "Eight little lights were safe until eleven. The clock struck twelve and then there were seven."

Hearing Sora's cries, the others run over to the stairs a few minutes later. They see Demyx and Roxas shivers, "What happened?"

Riku drops to his knees, gripping the card in his hands, crumpling it. He whispers, "I _killed_ him.."

"I-it was accident.." Sora tries to explain what happened, "Demyx was gone for awhile, Riku thought he was working for whoever's doing this to us. Demyx rand to the stairs and Riku grabbed him. I pulled Riku away and Demyx just.. Fell down the stairs.. His neck.. It was an accident.."

He cries and Roxas crouches next to Sora, hugging the crying boy. No one says anything for awhile and then Namine gestures at Riku, "What's in your hand?"

Riku tosses the crumbled card and Namine picks it up, unraveling it. She reads it and frowns, "It couldn't have been an accident, otherwise this card wouldn't be here."

"It's him!" Namine points at Riku, "He has to be the killer!"

"He killed Demyx.." Kairi agrees.

Axel crosses his arms, frowning, "He was next to Xion's body when Ven was found there, too.."

Vanitas looks at Riku in silence and Sora shakes his head, "What? No, this was an accident!"

"Nothing that's happening is an accident.." Roxas releases Sora, standing, "You know that."

Sora keeps shaking his head, "Guys, don't do this.."

"He could have easily rigged the lights and killed Ventus!" Namine continues, "He's could have orchestrated this whole thing!"

Sora stands between his friends and Riku, "Stop! It was an _accident!_ Riku isn't the one doing this! _I've_ been with him the entire time!"

Namine steps up to Sora, "So it was you, then. After all, it your house we're trapped in."


	4. Choice Is But An Illusion

**Choice Is But An Illusion  
**

 _Seven little lights split and accuse each other of tricks; A mean trick plays on and then there were six._

 _Six little lights armed themselves with a knife; She couldn't take it anymore and then there were five._

 _Five little lights feel beaten and sore; One turns against the other and then there were four._

 _Four little lights must find the key; If time stops then there will be three._

 _Three little lights turn blue; One has to give up so there can be two._

 _Two little lights stand with a gun; A final game must be played until there is one._

 _One little light smiles as all is done; The last walks away and then there were none._

* * *

"You can't treat him like this!" Sora states as Axel and Roxas put duck tape around Riku's wrists before locking the boy in a closet. Axel shakes his head, "We have to be careful, Sora. Riku killed Demyx. You want to trust him after that?"

"I keep telling you all it was an accident!"

"Maybe Sora's right.." Kairi says softly.

Namine glares at her, "Ten seconds ago you were all for this. What's with the sudden guilt?"

Kairi looks away, "Maybe.. It's none of us doing it.. Maybe.. Someone we don't know just wants to hurt us.."

Namine crosses her arms, "I have a hard time believing that. Why would someone who doesn't know us break into Sora's house just to play this sick game?"

"I don't know.." Kairi shakes.

Namine scoffs, "Keep acting like no one's involved and you'll be the next to die."

Kairi gasps and Sora pushes Namine, "Why would you say that to her?!"

Namine shoves Sora back, "Don't touch me! You and your creepy brother are the most likely to be the killer!"

Vanitas raises an eyebrow, walking up to her, " _I'm_ the creepy one? Take a look in a mirror."

Roxas sighs, looking worn out, "Guys, don't start. Look, we just need to get out of here."

"I'll look for another way out." Axel rolls his eyes and leaves the dinning room, heading upstairs. Sora crosses his arms, looking worried. The lights flicker a few minutes later and he looks at the ceiling. Everyone looks around and Kairi picks up a card that was lying under the leg of a chair. She frowns, reading aloud, "It's time for another game, and this time you get to choose the outcome. There are two little lights locked away, and you have to power to save one of them. In ten minutes the air in both rooms will run out. You have the key, so choose the light that gets to go free.."

She starts crying and Sora gasps, "We have to let someone die?"

"Who's locked away?" Namine frowns.

"Riku must be one of them.." Roxas crosses his arms, he looks disturbed, "And Axel's gone.."

"We have to choose between Riku and Axel." Vanitas states, "It has to mean them. The only others left are standing right here."

"He's right.." Sora trembles, "So.. Who do we save?"

"Riku killed Demyx, so he has to die." Namine says instantly.

"No!" Sora protests.

"I agree with Namine." Vanitas groans, "Can't believe I said that.."

"Well.." Kairi frowns, looking uncertain and weary, "Maybe.. Riku should.. Be the one to.. Die.."

"We're saving Axel then." Roxas closes his eyes.

Sora glares at his friends, "I can't believe you all! It was an accident! I won't let you just kill him!"

He quickly snatches the closet key from Roxas and Roxas gasps, grabbing Sora's arm, "Stop him, don't let him open the door!"

Vanitas moves and restrains Sora, allowing Roxas to take the key back. Sora yells and fights against Vanitas, but he can't get free. Vanitas growls, "Just hurry up and find Axel."

The others run off towards the stairs and Sora screams, "I hate you! I hate you, how could you condemn him like this?!"

Vanitas doesn't reply, he just continues to keep Sora restrained. His eyes are locked on the closet holding Sora's best friend. He sighs slowly and closes his eyes. He just stands there, feeling Sora fighting against his hold. He hates himself right now. Sure, he doesn't particularly care for Sora's friends, but that doesn't mean he enjoys their deaths. He especially doesn't like having to hold Sora down as his friend is killed. Hearing Sora cry, feeling him fight, it's draining Vanitas's spirit. People can say what they like about Vanitas, about how horrible the older boy is, but he does have feelings, he does care about others. Vanitas chuckles softly, moving so he's not restraining Sora, but hugging the younger boy instead, "After this, will someone have to hold you back when they kill me off, or will you be okay with it..?"

Sora goes limp, blinking slowly, "Wh-what..?"

"You saw how easily we all turned on Riku. And none of them even like me. When it comes my turn to die in this game, will you have to be held back? I helped kill your best friend. How will you feel when I die?" Vanitas explains.

Sora looks back at Vanitas with wide eyes, "I-I won't let them kill you.."

Vanitas shakes his head, smiling lightly, "I know I'm going to die here. I've come to terms with it. It doesn't bother me. The thing that bothers me is how it will affect you. The people you know have changed in a few hours. How much will you change? How much more can you take before you hate us all?"

"Vanitas.. I don't know what you're talking about.." Sora shakes, "I won't let you die!"

Vanitas holds Sora tighter, "I'm the older brother. I'm supposed to say that to you.."

Before Sora can reply, Namine, Roxas, Kairi, and Axel return to the living room. Vanitas releases Sora and Sora tackles Roxas. He takes the closet key again and runs to the closet, throwing the door open. He drops to his knees, staring at the limp, lifeless body of his bound friend, sitting on the floor across from him. Riku's head's down, his hair covers his face. Sora shakes, just staring at yet another lost friend. Kairi turns away from the closet, sobbing. Roxas sits up, watching Sora with dark eyes. He looks down then, _What's becoming of us?_

He holds his hand up, staring at the crumbled card in his fist. The card he found in the room Axel had become trapped in. _Seven little lights split and accuse each other of tricks; A mean trick plays on and then there were six._ He looks back at Sora and he sighs, shoving the card in his pocket as he stands. He takes a few steps towards Sora and when he reaches out, Sora looks up and glares at him. Roxas hesitates and Sora looks back at Riku. Anger seeps into Sora's voice, "Just leave me alone for awhile. All of you.. I don't want to look at you right now." _  
_


	5. Unraveling

**Unraveling  
**

 _Six little lights armed themselves with a knife; She couldn't take it anymore and then there were five._

 _Five little lights feel beaten and sore; One turns against the other and then there were four._

 _Four little lights must find the key; If time stops then there will be three._

 _Three little lights turn blue; One has to give up so there can be two._

 _Two little lights stand with a gun; A final game must be played until there is one._

 _One little light smiles as all is done; The last walks away and then there were none._

* * *

Sora sits on the floor across from Riku's body. He just sits there, staring at the corpse of his best friend. He moves and takes the tape off Riku's hands. He shudders and wipes tears from his eyes, "I'm sorry.. I failed to save you.. I tried.. I'm just not strong enough.. I can't save anyone, I can't stop this.."

He looks down at his own hands, "When will it be my turn to die..? How many more of my friends will I have to see die before this ends?"

He grits his teeth, tears falling down his face, "I just want this to end.."

He sobs, staring at the ground. Roxas walks into the room and watches Sora in silence. It takes Sora a few moments to realize Roxas is there. He turns to Roxas and frowns, "What do you want..?"

"Are you okay?" Roxas asks, walking over to Sora.

He sits down beside Sora and the brunet looks away, "What do you think?"

Roxas sighs, "Look, I know Riku was your fr-"

"Shut up." Sora growls, shaking, "Don't you dare talk about him. _Your_ best friend got to live."

Roxas frowns, "It's not personal.."

Sora shoves Roxas onto his back. He pins Roxas against the floor and glares at him, "It's not personal?! This entire ordeal is personal! It's bad enough some psycho is killing us, but you didn't even hesitate to get him out of the way! You wouldn't listen to me! I told you all it was an accident, and you wouldn't believe me! If he had done it on purpose, do you think I'd cover for him?!"

Sora shakes, "I want to get out of here just as badly as the rest of you.. But I won't kill my friends to do it."

He releases Roxas and stares back into the closet. Roxas sits up slowly, "You would have covered for him whether he had done it on purpose or not."

Sora winces, "What..?"

"Because you love him," Roxas's icy gaze pierces through Sora, "Don't you?"

Sora looks back at Roxas and he frowns, "Is that what this is about..? Is that why you let him die?"

Roxas is silent and Sora clenches his fists, "Because I wouldn't go out with you?"

Roxas remains silent and Sora growls, "Tell me that's not why you did it!"

Roxas stands slowly and crosses his arms. He smirks, "I would be lying if I said that."

Sora stands quickly and he tries to run but Roxas pins him against the wall, "Now, calm down, Sora. I'm not the killer. We just had a conflict of interest."

"Let go of me.." Sora shakes, "I'll scream!"

Roxas groans, "I said calm down. I'm not going to hurt you. I want to protect you. I want to keep you alive, Sora. I don't care about any of the others. It's you I came here for. Let me help you."

"You killed Riku!" Sora states.

"And he killed Demyx. We're not all as innocent as you." Roxas replies.

Sora looks away, trying to shove Roxas but Roxas doesn't budge now. Roxas leans in, whispering in Sora's ear, "Just let me protect you. I promise nothing will happen to you. You can trust me."

 _"VANITAS!"_ Sora cries.

Roxas sighs, releasing Sora, "Now, why did you have to do that? I'm not hurting you."

The lights flicker and go out and Sora can hear the others' yelling. Sora drops to the floor and covers his ears. He closes his eyes, _Please, stop. I can't keep doing this. I'm going insane. I just want this all to stop!_ The lights stay off for several minutes and the voices in the darkness settle. Sora remains in the living room, with his ears covered. He stares into the darkness in a sort of daze. The lights turn back on and he blinks in surprise. He's alone. _Roxas must have went back to the others.._ He hears Namine scream and he pushes himself up, running into the kitchen, "Namine?!"

He joins his friends near the back counters. He gasps, on the wall ahead of them, written in blood is a riddle: _Six little lights arm themselves with a knife; She couldn't take it anymore and then there were five._ On the floor behind the counter is Kairi, lying on her back, a knife lodged in her chest. Blood pools out around her and Sora heaves over, throwing up. The others back away from him to avoid getting puked on. After a few minutes, Sora shudders, no longer throwing up. Axel frowns, "Do you think she really..?"

"You think someone could have killed her and made it look like a suicide?" Roxas asks.

Axel nods, "None of us saw it with our own eyes. It could have been either.."

Namine shivers, "I.. I didn't mean it.. I didn't mean for her to be the next to die.."

"We know.." Vanitas frowns, "Could she have written that, though? I don't think she did.."

"I don't know.." Roxas crosses his arms, "Let's just.. Keep our guards up.."

Sora stands slowly and shakes his head, "I think Roxas killed her."

Everyone looks at him and he stares at Kairi as he speaks, "He told me he had no problem letting Riku die. I think he's the one killing us."

Roxas scoffs, "I can't be the killer, I've been around everyone since this thing started."

Sora turns to him, "I don't believe you."

Roxas's eyes narrow, "You're being paranoid. I'm on your side, Sora."

"Right. You said that." Sora walks past them and goes into the bathroom on the other side of the living room. He turns on the water at the sink and washes his face. He shudders, tears spilling down his face, "Riku and Kairi are both gone.. If Vanitas dies.. I can't go on.."

The words Vanitas said not even an hour before run through his mind again: _"-When it comes my turn to die in this game, will you have to be held back? I helped kill your best friend. How will you feel when I die?-"_ Sora shudders and holds back a sob, "I can't let him die, too.. I just can't.. I'll completely lose it.."

He looks into the mirror and gasps as he sees someone in a black coat behind him. He turns and opens his mouth to scream, but the figure moves and covers his mouth with a cloth. Sora fights against the figure as the figure restrains him. His vision quickly becomes blurry and soon after he starts to lose consciousness. Just as his vision goes black, he sees the face hiding in the cloak.


	6. False

**False**

 _Five little lights feel beaten and sore; One turns against the other and then there were four._

 _Four little lights must find the key; If time stops then there will be three._

 _Three little lights turn blue; One has to give up so there can be two._

 _Two little lights stand with a gun; A final game must be played until there is one._

 _One little light smiles as all is done; The last walks away and then there were none._

* * *

Vanitas storms from room to room, "Where did he go? Damn kid.. Running off like this with a killer on the loose? What is he thinking..?"

"You looking for Sora?" Axel raises an eyebrow, leaning against the wall beside the doorway Vanitas is currently standing in. Vanitas frowns, turning to him, "Yeah.. Have you seen him..?"

 _I don't trust you farther as I can throw you._ Vanitas crosses his arms, "Kid went storming off and now I can't find him. I swear he has no common sense sometimes."

"Do you want help?" Axel offers.

"No, thanks," Vanitas replies instantly, "I think I can handle it. Why don't you go console Namine or something?"

He disappears into the room and looks around, turning on the light. His eyes narrow and he leaves, heading upstairs now. Axel follows after him, "You know, I can help you. They say two heads are better than o-"

Vanitas whirls around, cutting him off with a growl, "I _said_ I don't need your help. _Thanks_."

As Vanitas turns back and starts to walk down the hall, Axel suddenly runs up and grabs Vanitas's arms. Axel restrains Vanitas's arms behind his back with one arm. Vanitas gasps, "What the hell?!"

Axel uses his free hand to cover Vanitas's mouth. The figure in the black coat comes out of a nearby room, carrying a knife. Vanitas's eyes widen and he struggles, but Axel keeps him restrained. The figure raises the knife and dashes at them. The figure quickly stabs Vanitas in the chest, then steps back as Axel moves and tosses Vanitas's body down the stairs. Axel turns back to the figure, frowning, "You'll honor the deal, right? I make it out of here alive."

The figure smiles slowly and pulls a deck of cards from their pocket. They then throw a card over the railing, sending it raining down into the kitchen. Axel's eyes narrow, repeating, "You'll honor it, right?"

The figure puts a finger to their lips and then they run into the room they came from. Axel shouts and runs after the figure. He gets into the room as the figure jumps out the window. Axel runs up to the window and as he's about to look out, the window slams shut. He tries to open it but it doesn't budge. Looking out the window, he sees the figure standing on the roof below them and the figure's waving a remote at Axel. Axel groans and the figure runs, turning the corner, out of sight of the window.

 _"Axel?"_

Axel turns and Namine and Roxas are standing in the doorway. Namine's eyes are wide and she's shaking, "Vanitas.. He's dead."

Roxas's eyes are cold and narrow, "We found this,"

He holds up the card the figure in the coat threw down. Roxas reads aloud, " _'Five little lights beaten and sore; One turns against the other, and then there were four.'_ Did you kill Vanitas, Axel?"

"Of course not," Axel shakes his head, "I've been looking for Sora this entire time."

"Sora's missing?" Namine almost seems out of it. Her mind's already broken. Roxas frowns, "And if I don't believe you?"

"Tie me up like you did Riku, then." Axel rolls his eyes, "I don't care. I didn't kill Vanitas."

"Go," Roxas points to the stairs and Axel leaves the room and walks downstairs. He steps over Vanitas's body and Namine follows, as does Roxas. They get to the bottom of the stairs and Roxas gets more duct tape and binds Axel's hands, before, as he did with Riku, locking Axel in a closet. Namine sits at the dinner table, staring out the window blankly. Roxas moves and sits across from her, "We need to find Sora. Axel could have hurt him, if he did kill Vanitas like we think."

"What's the point..?" Namine mutters, "We're all going to die in here.."

"You want to get out, don't you?"

"What's the point?" Namine repeats, shaking her head.

Roxas frowns, "So, you're just giving up? You can't give up yet, Namine. We just need to find and stop the killer, so we can get out of here."

"If we find the killer.." Namine closes her eyes, "We'll just get killed."

"We'll find a way out of here, I know it. Don't worry, I won't let you get hurt. I'll protect you." Roxas assures her.

She turns to him, glaring now, "Like you protect Sora? Tell me, where is he, Roxas? I don't need _your_ protection. My sister is dead, my friends are dying. There's only four of us left. It's only a matter of time before it's my turn, and then yours. There is no escaping here. Whatever the reason.. Whoever's doing this.. It doesn't matter. We'll all be dead by the end of it all."

"Do you really believe that?" Roxas asks softly, eyes narrowing.

"Yes," she almost whispers, turning away to stare back out the window.

Roxas frowns, leaning back, "Well, I believe otherwise. I'm getting out of here. No one else will have to die, the rest of us can get out of here together. You just have to believe in me, I can save us."

Namine shakes her head slowly, "I'm sorry, Roxas. I just don't believe in false hope. Not anymore."

Roxas closes his eyes, "So be it then."


End file.
